In all my experiences of hotels all over the country I can safely say that the Lonsdale "Hovel" was the worst ever. Walking into the "Reception" - a small desk set aside in a room off the foyer with pidgeon hole rack behind for keys - I should have realised what was to come. My wife and I climbed up six flights of stairs to reach the 3rd floor after wandering through several doors as there was no indication where rooms were located. The room at first glance appeared adequate however I had to move the bedside cabinet from between the beds and push the twin beds together so that I could open the door to the "en-suite". This was a 3ft x 6ft badly made plasterboard construction with a shower, washbasin and toilet crammed in. We asked for a move, mainly because of the mountainous hike but also the filthy condition of the room. We were moved to room 1 on the ground floor. Slight improvement, the fabricated "en-suite" was a lot cleaner but, for some reason, raised 8" off the floor and the shower didn't work. The general condition of the room was shabby with filthy curtains and broken light fittings and broken windows. Disgusting.

Small rooms equipped in the old, ruined furniture look as never been cleaned up. Windows that cannot be neither opened nor closed. Bad air everywhere. Toilets are the worst - dirty and ruined as well. Service below expectations - long queues for breakfast. If you need a cup or plate you should ask - nobody from the hotel notices it. Food so bad as you immediately dream to be on diet. The only advantage of Lonsdale is location - close to British Museum, in the heart of London. But if you prefer to stay in nice, clean hotel better choose the other one. 4 other hotels are located on the same street as Lonsdale

First of all, the Lonsdale has a good location, in a nice part of London and close to the centre. We stayed for one night after coming down from the Midlands to see a musical in the West End and it was very convenient for that. That, however, is one of the few good things you can say about it. The staff was generally surly and uncommunicative and entirely foreign - some spoke very poor English. The first room we were given had no headboards on the bed and stank of stale cigarette smoke - despite our requesting a non-smoking room. The second room was very hot (radiators on full and no way of turning them down) and the light in the bathroom didn't work. We were assured that this would be fixed, and in all fairness both were fixed quickly. However, although the radiators were off the room remained very warm; it was not a cold night and we had to have the window wide open all night, which made it rather noisy. The furniture and fittings were barely adequate - many items were cracked, old and poorly maintained. The carpets were shabby and frayed. The 'ensuite bathroom' was a cabinet installed in one corner of the room and while clean enough was very cramped; there was hot water, as long as you worked out that the shower had to be turned towards the cold end to get hot! The room wasn't too dirty, but could certainly have been better. The television worked, but wasn't tuned into any stations. Breakfast was adequate (bacon, sausages, fried eggs, toast, orange juice, tea), but kept running out and had to be replenished (slowly) by very surly kitchen staff. There was only one flavour of jam and no sauces at all. All in all, not a particularly pleasant experience and I'm glad we only stayed one night - I certainly wouldn't have stayed any more. ?75 per night may be cheap for London, but it is still not exactly cheap and I expect much more for my money. I have stayed in many (much, much cheaper) hostels in major European cities, and I have to say that this 'hotel' was far worse than any of them. Not recommended at all.

Without a doubt the worst hotel I have ever seen. My two friends from Italy booked in here for 3 nights. After the first night when they had dirty sheets, found cigarette butts in the drawers and no curtains on the windows I came over to rescue them. The floors were filthy, the stairs filled with dust, the furniture broken and the breakfast only offered between 8am and 9.30am (though I imagine you would be taking your life in your hands to eat it!) The receptionists were completely unhelpful and only gave a partial refund under extreme duress. I will be calling Trading Standards and Camden Council to report this hotel. It is horrendous and I wouldn't house my dog in it. Beware!!!!

Dirty, old, abandoned hotel. Small room, dirty walls, no light in the WC of the corridor... The fotos they show in the webs are simply false. The breakfast is very bad: no hot milk, even if you ask for it (they answered me: only cold milk!!) Please, if you don?t want to stay at a dirty hole, please don?t go.